22
iron men
The HEALTH | NOVEMBER, 2018
Epididymitis
Pain at the back of the
testicle
(Left) A normal testicle and one with
hydrocele.
Fluids that
cause testicular
swelling
A HYDROCELE can be defined as a
collection of fluids between two layers
of tissue surrounding the testicle,
causing swelling in the scrotum. The
condition is common in newborns and
usually disappears without treatment.
Older boys and adult men may also
develop a hydrocele due to inflamma-
tion or an injury within the scrotum.
Common causes
Gleneagles Kota Kinabalu Consultant
Urologist Dr Wong Teck Boon high-
lighted that for baby boys, a hydrocele
can develop before birth.
“Normally, the testicles descend
from the developing baby’s abdominal
cavity into the scrotum. A sac accom-
panies each testicle, allowing fluid
to surround them. Each sac typically
closes and the fluid is absorbed after
birth. If the fluid fails to be absorbed,
the baby may experience a hydrocele.”
“Older males on the other hand
can develop hydroceles as a result
of injury or inflammation within the
scrotum. Inflammation may be caused
by an infection in the testicle or in the
small, coiled tube at the back of each
testicle (epididymitis).”
Symptoms
Usually, the only indication of a
hydrocele is a painless swelling of
one or both testicles. Adult men with
a hydrocele may complain of discom-
fort from the heaviness of a swollen
scrotum. Pain generally increases with
the size and severity of the inflamma-
tion.
E
PIDIDYMITIS is an
inflammation of the
coiled tube (epididy-
mis) at the back of the
testicle that stores and
carries sperm. Males
of any age can get this
condition. It is a common disease
among Malaysian men.
However, there is currently no
data pointing to its exact prevalence
here.
Gleneagles Kota Kinabalu Con-
sultant Urologist Dr Wong Teck
Boon explained that it is most often
caused by a bacterial infection, which
includes sexually transmitted infec-
tions like gonorrhoea and chlamydia.
A testicle may sometimes get inflamed
as well, incurring a condition known
as epididymo-orchitis.
Symptoms affiliated
with epididymitis
Wong described the symptoms to
be swelling, red or warm scrotum,
pain and tenderness in the testicle,
enlarged lymph nodes in the groin,
painful urination or an urgent or fre-
quent need to urinate, discharge from
the penis, pain or discomfort in the
lower abdomen or pelvic area. There
may be blood in the semen followed
with chills and fever.
P
Urinalysis or urine culture that can
indicate if you have a urinary tract
infection or a sexually transmit-
ted infection, blood tests such as
a complete blood count in order
to determine whether there is an
infection in your system, an ultra-
sound imaging such as a testicular
ultrasound to retrieve images of the
testicles and surrounding tissues in
the scrotum.
Diagnosis
“Men suspected of having epi-
didymitis may undergo a number of
checks. The first is to have a look into
their medical history. Patients with
the condition typically experience
scrotal pain and swelling, usually but
not always localised to one side, that
gradually develops over a few days.”
“Your doctor may conduct a physi-
cal exam, which can reveal enlarged
lymph nodes in your groin and an
enlarged testicle on the affected side.
Your doctor may also do a rectal exam
to check for prostate enlargement or
tenderness. Screening for sexually
transmitted diseases may be recom-
mended as well.”
PRP for sports injuries
LATELET-Rich Plasma (PRP)
treatment is one of the newest
innovations in the area of cos-
metic medicine. But what is it best for?
Kelana Jaya Medical Centre Consul-
tant Orthopaedics & Traumatology Dr
Mohd Ikraam Ibrahim explained that
PRP is used to initiate back inflamma-
tion so that healing can occur.
“Our body has normal platelets
which is very diluted, so PRP is a
method where we prepare a highly
concentrated platelet using the patient’s
own blood.”
However, he was fast to clarify that
PRP thus far does not have an extensive
study to say that it is the treatment for
certain conditions.
“It is proven to be good for sports
injuries such as ligament injuries,
muscle injuries and chronic cases of
inflammation such as tendonitis, tennis
elbow and Achilles tendinitis due to
Other tests include:
The illustration shows (left) a normal
testis and (right) one that is with an
inflammation of epididymis.
wear and tear because of over use.
This one has been proven by research
that it helps to induce healing in the
tissue because the tissue has good
blood supply as compared to the knee
cartilage.”
The doctor also pointed out to other
chronic injuries which are caused by
prolonged walking and long hours
at the computer which results in
wrist inflammation. He then raised a
common scenario where patients with
arthritis come to request for a PRP to
be done.
“The school of thoughts believe
that it doesn’t really work for arthritis.
Although it is platelet induced healing,
we believe that it doesn’t really help in
the knee joint, as the cartilage is thin or
worn out.”
“Cartilage itself is a structure where
there is no vessel attached to it. As PRP
helps in regeneration, if you inject it
Treatment
Epididymitis can be treated orally
and with sufficient bed rest. Patients
with chronic epididymitis may be
prescribed antibiotics for four to six
weeks, while pain medication and
anti-inflammatory medication may
be enough for others. Surgery may be
needed if an abscess has formed.
MY KNEE CAP
PRP injections in sports injury
treatments are common today.
into the muscle and tendons, it will
help with healing and regeneration.
However, for the cartilage, most of
the researches and scientist believe that
it doesn’t really help with regenera-
tion.”